In the pantheon of fashion designers, there have been a throng of geniuses who, with their designs, candour, and creative pursuits, have changed the way we dress up forever. While talent itself is the primary force for any designer to excel in the competitive and cutthroat industry, knowing what your mass audience wants and creating resonating collections for decades is what separates a great designer from a legendary icon.
Phoebe Philo, the multifaceted British designer, undoubtedly meets the aforementioned criteria. From her first job at Chloé to her historic tenure at Celine for over a decade, Philo is a genuine force in the fashion industry that can never be copied or duplicated.
Her clean and minimalistic yet edgy and timeless designs have given her a lifetime of adoring fans who have always supported her and, frankly, couldn’t get enough of Philo’s creations. So, when she decided to leave Celine for good and took a hiatus before announcing her own namesake label in 2021, the fashion world welcomed her back with resounding ovations, both from critics and from a business perspective.
In 2025, the Phoebe Philo brand saw strong commercial growth, forecasting over US$41 million in sales, nearly tripling its revenue from the previous year, as reported by British Marie Claire. The LVMH-backed label also manages to move from a direct-to-consumer business model to global wholesale partnerships with some of the world’s luxury retailers.
Loved by fans, critics, and celebrities alike, Phoebe Philo’s namesake brand has become one of the few recent fashion labels that didn’t need a long period to attain its gigantic success.
But the questions remained: how did she manage to do it all? Perhaps, the simplest answer is that Phoebe Philo positively knows what modern women want. Here’s the complete MAYFEYR breakdown for you.
The Rise of Phoebe Philo: Chloé & Celine
Remember the Celine Luggage bag or the It Paddington bag from Chloé? Or when Philo launched the banana-print blouse in the Spring/Summer 2004 collection for Chloé, inspired by a Vogue photoshoot featuring Kate Moss, which quickly became a sensational hit for its quirky and cheeky design?
Those are only a handful of what Phoebe Philo has given the fashion world. There were also mules with feathers, wide-legged trousers, the glove shoes, and who can forget the popular handbags she designed for Celine: The Luggage Tote, the Box Bag, the Trapeze Bag, and the Trio were cherished and still serve as examples of how luxury fashion houses can create sensational handbags that are both stylish and practical at the same time.
But Philo never stopped surprising her fans with only statement outfits and handbags. She continued to deliver unique and creative twists on regular fashion items, such as Celine’s geometric jewellery, belts, rings, and even hair clips, which have all become collector’s items today.
It also goes without saying that Philo was largely responsible for making Celine the giant brand it is today. The term “Celine Girls” even emerged to describe the women who embraced Philo’s vision, with celebrities regularly donning her designs not only for red-carpet premieres, but also when they were out and about, cementing that Philo knew how to create luxurious everyday wear.
So, how did this 52-year-old designer get her big break in the fashion industry? It all went back to when Philo met her good friend Stella McCartney when they were both fashion students at the prestigious Central Saint Martins in London.
After graduation, Philo accompanied McCartney to Paris in 1997 to work as her first assistant at Chloé. After three years, McCartney left the label to start her own brand, and Philo was promoted to creative director. This was the moment when she transformed Chloé to appeal to much younger women by reinventing the house’s boho-chic DNA with a fresh new perspective, including flowing chiffon dresses, babydoll dresses, cotton eyelet, and wooden platforms that appeared sexy without being overtly provocative.
Beyond bohemian styles, Philo also made everyday luxury feel desirable, with pieces like sexy daywear, flared jeans, high-waisted trousers, and chunky high heels becoming common fashion staples for years to come. The Guardian even called her “this century's most influential designer of womenswear” and reported that under her leadership, Chloé sales increased by 60% worldwide.
Then, of course, there was the Paddington bag, which was described as the first IT bag for Chloé. Before Philo’s creative infusion, designer handbags with heavy buckles and padlocks would never have been considered successful, but she made it happen.
From 2001 to 2006, Philo ultimately became the world’s most in-demand designer, but she left after five years to concentrate on raising her family with her husband, gallery owner Max Wigram. But someone with her tour de force ability would never stay hidden for long, as the LVMH Group chose her to lead the then-little-known Celine with huge financial backing.
And as they say, the rest is history. For 10 long years, Philo not only catapulted Celine into the herculean brand it is today, but she also left a huge legacy that is still talked about and discussed by fashion experts today.
With all the knowledge she gained back at Chloé, Philo quickly matured and evolved her approach at Celine, designing clothes that women actually wanted. With over 17 runway collections in a span of 10 years, Phoebe Philo not only designed clothing that was meant for modern women, but she also designed high-quality and wearable clothes that were resistant to trends.
Focusing on substance over flashy gimmicks, Philo never did loud logos or branding. Instead, she focused on clean clothing, superb tailoring, rich fabrics, and relaxed silhouette that definitely laid the blueprints for the quiet luxury trends that inspired the new designers as well, from the Olsen twins’ The Row to Jonathan Anderson’s Loewe creations.
Her designs have also been described as having transcended time, as noted by how much fashion people still talked about the “Old Celine”, simply because Philo designed women’s clothing not through a male gaze or fantasy lens, but she designed them to fit into the life that women could wear daily.
But that doesn't mean that she didn't have fun with it, though. Her creativity and genius also made fashion fun. For instance, the glove shoes that she presented during Spring/Summer 2015, became the accessory of the summer. But it was her slip dresses, designer sneakers, and, undoubtedly, the pyjama shirts, which Kanye West wore on stage at Coachella, along with stylish knitted dresses, worn by Sienna Miller, that made her tenure at Celine one of the most revered highlights in fashion history.
So, when in 2018, at the top of her game, Philo announced that she would resign from her post at Celine and pass the mantle to Hedi Slimane, the world held its breath to see what she would do next.
And of course, with her talent it was only a matter of time before people would see her name on clothes once again.
Phoebe Philo’s Own Brand
In 2023, her first eponymous collection was launched online and quickly gained favourable reviews. While her designs at Chloé and Celine have the same red thread of clean minimalism and precise tailoring, for her namesake brand, critics have lauded Philo for still grounding her namesake designs in those same roots. Yet this time around, the collection feels more mature and confident.
British Vogue even praised her debut collection with high regards: “Phoebe Philo is born not just as a complete collection, but as a new luxury fashion house.” From tailored jackets and exaggerated trousers to denim shirts and structured bomber jackets that come in neutral colour palettes and playful embellishments, her long-time fans are loving this new evolution of Philo’s designs.
And the celebrities are not far behind. Remember when Kendall Jenner showed off her long legs donning Phoebe Philo’s cashmere Teddy jacket? Or when Hailey Bieber wrapped herself in Philo’s gorgeous silk white turtleneck dress during her pregnancy? Instant classic fashion moments.
Philo also delivered another must-have range of gorgeous leather goods, from her Bolo Mule shoes to the Kit Cabas handbag, which has been spotted on A-listers like Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Lawrence, Phoebe Philo once again reminds the fashion world that her genius knows no bounds and that it’s perfectly alright to make comfortable fashion cool once again.
Shop your own Phoebe Philo collection only at MAYFEYR.
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